Changing Tides
by NykyrianKiara
Summary: They are at the safe house. After the Awakening. First DP FanFic. R&R please.
1. Chapter 1 CPOV

**A/N: My first DP FanFic. Will be Chlerek. Definitely. The world would die without it. R&R please.**

Chapter One

"Are you kidding me?" I mumbled sleepily, trudging slowly after Derek. He had been jumpy all day, and then I had seen the full moon. I had tried to wait up, but he had taken so long and I had accidentally fallen asleep.

"Nobody forced you to come," Derek snapped, turning on me and I glared at him. It was too late to be intimidated by his… bigness and I was more or less sleepwalking, so I didn't care. I was about to reply, when a shudder tore through him. That woke me up more. _Was he close to changing?_

"Come on," I said. "Gotta get you someplace safe." We walked deeper into the woods, and Derek kept pulling me up as I stumbled over every branch and rock.

"This place is good." Derek finally stopped and started taking off his clothes. This would have been strange two months ago, but I was used to it, or just ignored it. _Of course, it was hard with him-_ I squashed that thought as Derek lay down, convulsing. Gently, I started to rub his back, massaging the places where his bones were moving and shifting. It felt really weird, but it helped Derek, so I did it.

Sometime later, he was done. Derek hadn't fully changed, but it was over for tonight. Hopefully. It was horrible to watch that and know that you can't do anything to ease the pain. Then somehow Derek fell asleep. Not that I blamed him. It was exhausting just watching, but I couldn't sleep. Nowhere was safe and I needed to keep an eye on Derek. I can imagine him now.

_You should have woken me up._

_I w-wasn't tired._

_Don't lie. What if something had happened?_

_Then I would have woken you up._

_Next time, just wake me up. I don't need you trying to be a hero._ Of course, I would be mad at him and walk away. Derek, not understanding the dramatic angry walk-away, would catch up and walk with me.

My eyes started to droop, but I didn't really fight it. Derek would wake up if something bad happened. Bad- Dead! I snapped my eyes open as I remembered the dead. My powers weren't fully under control and I didn't want to wake up any of the dead unknowingly if I did fall asleep. It's been known to happen.

Sighing, I stood up and glanced at Derek. He hadn't moved. I walked away, stumbling, feeling for any dead animals. Nothing. Tentatively, I tried harder and was satisfied that I couldn't feel anything. Of course, that was not a sure way. The Edison Group had messed with my powers, so my powers weren't 100% reliable. And I was wearing my necklace which supposedly blocked my powers.

I turned to head back to Derek, but I couldn't see him anywhere. Even with the full moon shining brightly, it was hard to see.

"D-Derek?" I said nervously, wincing when I stuttered. No reply.

"D-Derek!" I yelled, trying hard not to panic. A twig snapped behind me.


	2. Chapter 2 CPOV

**A/N: I won't be able to post anymore until maybe Monday or Tuesday. Enjoy this chapter. R&R please. Oh and I'm not awesome enough to own DP.**

Chapter Two

"Are you trying to get yourself killed?" a familiar angry voice growled from behind me. I turned around and sure enough, there was Derek, looking annoyed, angry and tired.

"N-no," I answered. "I just wasn't sure if I could fall asleep if there was anything dead out here." Derek glared at me, but he seemed more angry with himself than with me.

"And you didn't think to wake me up?" Uh-oh.

"I w-wasn't p-planning t-to g-go this f-far. I j-jus-"

"It doesn't matter. You should have woken me up," Derek interrupted me. "I don't need you trying to be a hero." Derek looked at me strangely when I started to cough, hiding my laughter. How had I known he was going to say that? I cleared my throat and said,

"We should probably get back before anyone comes looking for us." He nodded and glanced around, frowning. "What?" I asked, looking around to try and see what he was looking for. No use. My poor mortal eyes were nothing compared to his werewolf eyes. In a movie, there would be an eye roll here, except I didn't want to do it, because Derek would see and be even angrier than he already was. Derek grabbed my hand and pulled me next to him, starting to walk. I stumbled again over rocks and branches, until we made it back to the house.

"Are you alright?" I asked hesitantly. He tended to not like personal questions. Stiffly, he nodded and helped me back to my room.

"I'm…sorry," he finally said, before I shut my bedroom door.

"Why?" I may not like that he's overprotective at times, but he didn't have to apologize for it.

"About yelling at you about not waking me up. I'm… glad you were there."

"Wasn't your fault. I probably should have woken you up. I know how dangerous it is."

"Good night," he whispered and I shut the door, turning around.

"Good night," I said, knowing he could hear me. I quickly fell asleep.

_A malicious laugh echoed around me. It was scary and the perfect opening for a horror movie. Maybe I was dreaming a horror movie. I didn't do so well with horror movies though. The laugh led me down a corridor into a big room. In the center, I saw Derek, pinned down and helpless._

"_Chloe! Run!" But the door had shut behind me. Flames were everywhere, I noticed, as I ran over to Derek._

"_I can't leave you," I snapped. A huge figure appeared in the shadows, but I didn't notice. Suddenly, this fire ball shoots out from the shadows by the figure and hits Derek. I couldn't breathe as I saw Derek die._

"_NO!" I screamed. "Derek!"_

"Chloe!" Tori shouted. "Wake up?" I woke with a start and sat up. Simon, Tori, and Derek were gathered all around me.

**A/N: That's all I have for you. I'm not real sure what's going to happen next, but we'll see.**


	3. Chapter 3 DPOV

**A/N: Okay, finally posting. Sorry it took so long, but I was on a trip and wasn't able to get to a computer. Its kind of short but its from Derek's point of view. R&R please!**

Chapter Three

I was up and moving as soon as I heard Chloe scream. It didn't occur to me to get help; I just needed to get to Chloe. She was so fragile. Simon was right behind me, I could hear, but I didn't stop.

Barging through the girls' bedroom door, we came to a halt by Chloe's bed. She was crying and still screaming. Tori, who was also awake, finally shouted,

"Chloe! Wake up!" Her scream was cut off as she opened her eyes and stopped dreaming.

"W-what?" she stammered, sitting upward and looking at me, fear in her eyes.

"Are you alright?" Simon asked. "You were screaming."

"Y-yeah, I'm fine," she said. "Just a b-bad dream." Once again, she looked at me as if to reassure herself that I was actually there. _What is that about?_ I wondered. I was worried, also, but I kept my face blank and made a mental note to ask her about her dream.

"Out!" Tori suddenly snapped, shooing at Simon and me. I glared at her, but she glared right back.

"But-" Simon protested, but Tori interrupted him sharply,

"Leave." Reluctantly, Simon and I left the room. The door shut loudly behind us and I heard Tori say,

"You okay?" But I didn't hear Chloe's answer. Andrew appeared a minute later.

"Is anything wrong?" he asked.

"Nah," Simon replied loftily. "Everyone's fine." I didn't quite agree, but I kept silent and started to my room.

"Derek!" Andrew called. "Breakfast!" Counting to five, I turned around and silently headed to the kitchen table. Simon and Andrew trailed behind, talking about magic.

I stopped when I heard strange voices. A growl rose in my throat. The instinct to protect my family, Simon, Chloe and even Tori, pounded in my brain. Rounding on Andrew, I snarled,

"Who are they?"

**A/N: I hope I did a good job getting Derek's character. He's really hard to write.**


	4. Chapter 4 CPOV

**A/N: This is going to be a short chapter too. Thanks for the tip about Derek, Jamie Kay Huntt. R&R please, I do not and never will own Darkest Powers. Chloe's Point of View.**

Chapter Four

"So do you thing you and Simon will go anywhere now that we're here?" Tori asked quietly as we walked downstairs to breakfast. I was still a little shook up over my nightmare, but Tori was helping to distract me. After Derek and Simon had left, I had told her what my nightmare had been about and she was thinking about it. As I looked at Tori, I realized how much she had changed. Sure, she was still a snob at times, but she seemed easier to get along with.

"I don't know," I admitted, finally answering her question. "I hope-" I was interrupted by a snarl. Tori and I looked at each other in confusion and ran around the corner to find Derek glaring at Andrew and Simon trying to hold Derek back.

"What's going on?" Tori demanded, storming over to them, her hands beginning to crackle with magic.

"Tori," I said hesitantly as I followed her. She looked back at me and calmed down a little.

"Why are there people in the kitchen?" Derek snapped, bringing our attention back to Andrew and him.

"Calm down," Simon and Andrew pleaded Derek.

"Hey, wolf-boy. Your socks are untied," Tori said. I frowned; socks can't be tied or untied. Then I realized she was trying to distract Derek. It looked like it worked too. He looked startled and then growled at Tori when he understood what she was trying to do.

"Andrew," I said calmly. "What's going on?" Andrew looked at all of us and sighed.

"I wanted to surprise you," he said. "Others who are part of our group wanted to meet you and I thought you'd be able to learn more about you powers from them."

"You should have talked to us first," Derek snapped.

"Derek. Back off," Tori rolled her eyes.

"Come on, Derek. Calm down," I whispered, knowing he'd be able to hear me. He glared at me but took a step back. One disaster averted, I turned to Andrew.

"Who are they?" Tori asked before I could.

"Why don't you ask us yourselves?" a quiet voice asked. The voice sent shivers down my spine and started Derek growling again.


	5. Chapter 5 Andrew

**A/N: Just a real short part about Andrew. R&R please.**

Chapter Five

Andrew sighed as the werewolf started growling again. Derek was too young, volatile, and temperamental. What will happen when he cracked and started to attack Simon, Chloe, and Tori?

He watched as Chloe walked over to Derek and put a hand on his arm, trying to calm him down. Andrew expected Derek to be mad at her, but the werewolf just frowned at her.

"Who are you?" Tori, irritated, asked Eva, the witch in the doorway who had set Derek off.

"I'm Eva, a witch," Eva answered. Eva looked at Andrew for a second with questions in her eyes. When he didn't say anything, she told the kids, "Come on in for breakfast. We've brought donuts."

Simon, Tori, Derek and Chloe looked at each other and Derek gave a small nod of his head. They followed him into the kitchen. Eva looked at them following Derek and raised an eyebrow at Andrew, who shrugged, as if to say, _who knows?_

_They followed him because they didn't know how dangerous he was,_ Andrew thought. Derek may have been in control when he was a kid, but now he's a teenaged werewolf, getting ready to start changing. Not only that, but he had been altered, so who knew what the Edison Group had changed or affected. Something had to be done before anyone got hurt. But later. Not now.

**A/N: Sorry its so short, but its all I have. Having writer's block, but will post soon. **


	6. Chapter 6 CPOV

**A/N: Well, a longer chapter. It's back to Chloe's POV. Hope you enjoy. R&R please.**

Chapter Six

We followed Derek into the kitchen, and saw 4 people sitting at the kitchen table. Wordlessly, Simon, Tori, Derek, and I sat down at empty seats and grabbed donuts. None of us spoke. Eva, the witch, sat down in another empty seat and Andrew sat down next to her. I looked around at the new people, trying to figure out their powers.

"So, what can witches do?" Tori asked Eva, breaking the silence.

"Bindings, spells," Eva answered indifferently. There was something about Eva that was bothering me, but I didn't say anything. Tori was obviously glad to a have a witch to talk to and I didn't want to ruin her happiness.

"C-can witches do any lightning-like things?" I asked hesitantly. Eva looked at me strangely and said,

"Not really. That's mostly sorcerers." Tori's eyes widened in surprise, and we exchanged a glance of surprise. Thankfully, nobody noticed.

"So what are you guys?" Simon asked the other 4 people, before taking a bite of his donut.

"I'm Jack, a sorcerer," a guy with black hair and chocolate brown eyes said. He looked nice and Simon's head jerked up in surprise. Jack smiled at Simon's surprise. Derek looked up from his donut and stared at Jack. After a minute, Derek started to eat his donut again.

"I'm Kylie, a necromancer," the girl next to Jack spoke up. She seemed little perky, with her sweet voice, perfect blond hair and hazel eyes, but seemed alright. Derek's head bobbed up and he checked out Kylie, who seemed a little nervous to be under his gaze. _If she had a problem with werewolves, she should have stayed at home_, I thought meanly, and then felt guilty. I had no right to be thinking like that.

I'm used to everybody judging Derek by the wolf, not him. _He's not in control, he's going to hurt you, he's not good enough for you._ I was told that all the time by the Edison Group and even my Aunt Lauren. She should know better. Simon and I are his pack. Even Tori was part of his pack. And we all know Derek's the one in control, not the wolf. Nobody else seemed to realize that though.

"I'm Aaron, a half-demon," the next guy said, breaking me out of my thoughts. Aaron had brown-blond hair and looked very confident, but kind of too cocky, like he could snap his fingers and get whatever he wanted.

"I'm Tobias," the last person went, but he didn't offer what supernatural he was. My curiosity overcame me and I asked,

"What are you?" I asked. Tobias looked at me and Derek answered my question,

"Werewolf."

"Oh, cool!" Tori exclaimed. "We can all learn how to use our powers now."

"It's not going to be that simple," Andrew cut in. "You're still young. There are things that you can't do yet, because your powers haven't matured enough." Simon, Tori, and I nodded, but secretly rolled our eyes. I snuck a glance at Derek. He looked really tense.

"What's up?" I whispered, leaning closer to him. Derek closed his eyes for a brief second, clenched his jaw and then stood up and walked away. Simon frowned and I looked at him. I took off after Derek, when Simon nodded. Before I shut the door, I heard Tori ask Simon,

"What's up with Derek?" I walked up the stairs and looked around, but there was no sign of Derek. There were some more stairs, which I went up, but still no Derek. I was on the roof, and I could see all around me. A hand on my shoulder startled me, making me jump.

"You shouldn't be up here. The boards are starting to rot," Derek snapped, pulling me back roughly, so I stumbled.

"Excuse me," I muttered. "I was looking for you." He glared at me and I remembered his hearing. Derek led me down the stairs and I followed him to his room.

"What do you want?" he asked, after I sat down on his bed.

"N-nothing," I lied, cursing at my stutter that gave away my lie.

"Don't lie to me," Derek snapped.

"Th-that's why I'm here," I said. "You're so irritable, and its not regular irritableness."

"Irritableness?"

"Out of all that, that's what you get?"

"It's the werewolf- and the others," Derek finally said, after a couple minutes of not answering and pacing. "I don't know if I can trust them and I don't want to take a chance with our safety." Tentatively, I stood up and gave him a half hug, trying not to blush at the contact and my sudden thoughts about how hot Derek was. Simon was hot too, in his own way, but this was Derek. _No! You should not be thinking like this. Get a grip on yourself, Chloe,_ I snapped to myself. _Derek probably doesn't even like you that way._ Getting a reign on my thoughts, I told Derek,

"Let's just see if we can learn more about our powers and who those people are, and then we'll decide what to do." He nodded tightly and gave me a quick hug, before ushering me out the door and back down to breakfast.

**A/N: Longer chapter to make up for the short chapters. Chloe-Derek moment. I don't want to rush into Chlerek, just build up to it. I have no idea what's going to happen next though.**


	7. Chapter 7 CPOV

**A/N: It is Chlerek, I'm just not sure how I'm going to get it in there. I only updated so fast for the past chapters is because I had them mostly written down… and I had some free time. I'll see if I can make this chapter longer. R&R please.**

Chapter Seven

Derek and I walked back into the kitchen and were greeted by a tense silence.

"We were just introducing ourselves," Simon said, breaking the silence.

"Uhm… I'm C-Chloe and I'm a n-necromancer," I said, stammering a little bit at being the center of attention. Everyone's eyes were on me… except Derek. I sat down silently next to Simon as Derek told everyone,

"I'm Derek the werewolf and I bite." I choked back the urge to laugh, but Tori didn't try. Across from me, she burst out laughing. The necromancer… Kylie… looked ready to faint. Her eyes were wide and she was staring at Derek. _Stop staring at him!_ I thought, but I didn't say anything. Andrew cleared his throat.

"On that interesting note, let's clean up," he ordered. Simon and I got dishes duty, but everything kept getting wet. It didn't have anything to do with our flicking water at each other.

"A-Andrew?" I said nervously. "C-can Tori and I go take a walk?" Tori and I kind of wanted to take a walk, but we also wanted to get out of here to discuss the new people and what's going on.

"I don't know…" he replied after a second. At Tori's and my pleading looks, he gave in reluctantly, "Fine, just don't go to far and get lost." I smiled at Tori and we left, ignoring everybody. We walked into the forest on random trails.

"So what do you think?" I asked her.

"I think Kylie and Jack are the sincerest. Aaron looks over-confident. Tobias looks like he wants to fight, and Eva… she seems kind of scary," she answered.

"Kylie seemed kind of scared of Derek."

"Yeah… His bark is worse than his bite, but they don't know it."

"Are you actually being nice?" Kylie had also been checking Derek out, but I didn't tell Tori; it was none of my business anyways.

"Hey! I can be nice sometimes," she said offended. "And I don't want to scare the new people off." Sensing she was starting to get angry, I changed the topic. Me and anger just couldn't deal.

"So why do you think you can do that lightning thing?"

"I don't know. A gift from my father, maybe."

"Who's your real father?"

"No clue. Mother never told me."

"Do you think your-"

"Tori!" Simon's shout interrupted my question. "Andrew wants to talk to you!" Tori looked at me and I said,

"Go. I'll catch up." She jogged off, leaving me alone. I knew I should have gone with her, but I wanted some time to think, where I wouldn't be distracted or interrupted.

It was beautiful out, I now noticed, since I was not distracted by talking. The sun was shining brightly and I wandered aimlessly around, relieving my body of all its built-up stress from running from the Edison Group.

At last, we were mostly safe. There was no way the Edison Group would find us here and we'd learn how to control our powers. Something tickled the back of my head and I froze. The feeling wasn't physical, it had been my powers. I turned to the left and saw what had caused it. My first instinct was to run, but I didn't move. Warily, I walked over to the dead rabbit and crouched down. It was relatively in one piece. I let go of the hold I had on my magic and I pulled, for lack of a better word, at the rabbit. A ripple ran through me and suddenly the rabbit was moving.

"Oh m-my g-god!" I screeched, leaping back and falling onto my butt. The rabbit hopped towards me. "S-stop!" I stammered, not wanting it to get any closer and sighed in relief when it froze. Necromancers could control ghosts and zombies, but it was hard. Especially with the strong willed.

A twig snapped behind me and when I turned around, a wolf slinked out of the forest. Only… it's throat was ripped open. Unintentionally, I had raised it.

"Oh… I'm sorry," I whispered, mortified that I had done that. I had only meant to raise the rabbit.

"Chloe?" somebody called and I recognized the voice as Derek. The wolf and rabbit needed to go.

"How do I get rid of them?" I asked the wolf and rabbit urgently. They stared at me blankly, not that I had expected them to answer. I reached out and gave a mental shove. During this, I had shut my eyes and now I opened them.

The wolf and rabbit were lying on the ground, successfully dead again. As I breathed a shaky sigh of relief, a low voice behind me snarled,

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Leaping to my feet in surprise, I turned around and saw Derek, storming towards me.

"N-nothing," I stammered. But he had seen the dead animals and knew. He always knew about this kind of stuff.

"You shouldn't be out here alone," he snapped. "It's not safe." He grabbed my arm and started pulling me back the way he'd come from.

"L-let me g-go!" I said with a stutter, yanking my arm out of his grip.

"No. We're going back since you stupidly went off on your own." Derek reached over to take my arm, but I jumped away, not wanting him to touch me. I walked away, knowing he'd catch up to me soon.

Not to be disappointed, he caught up with me a second later. I ignored him, going back to the house and my room, slamming the door behind me. I knew he wouldn't hurt me, I just got frustrated that he treated me like I couldn't take care of myself.

**A/N: Well, it's slightly longer, but I don't know what's going to happen next. Well, I deleted and added some things, to make it more in character, a bit. Thanks to mystupidityoutdoesmystupidity for help. **


	8. Chapter 8 DPOV

**A/N: Okay, well, I kind of didn't want Chloe mad at Derek, so I had them make up. R&R please.**

Chapter Eight

I knew it had been wrong to yell at Chloe but I had been… afraid that she would get hurt… and angry at myself that I had let her be alone. I had let my emotions rule. Of course, she had foolishly stayed behind and used her powers to raise the dead.

At dinner, she was silent and Simon kept shooting glances at me, trying to figure out what was wrong. Tori was talking with the witch, Eva, and the sorcerer, Jack. Jack seemed alright, but Eva… I didn't like her. Kylie was terrified, yet intrigued by me; I could feel her watching me. Aaron was way to egotistical and every time he smiled or opened his mouth, I wanted to slam my fist into his face. Tobias was a whole different matter. He never showed any emotion and I couldn't read him. Not like I could Simon, Chloe, or Tori. And he was a werewolf. I didn't know how dominant he was, which would affect a lot of things. Next to me, Chloe finished her meal and left, nodding to Tori, who glared at me.

I quickly finished my food and followed Chloe. Everybody stared at me and I could feel Simon's confusion, but through some difficulty, I ignored it. Slowly, I made my way to Chloe's bedroom.

"Come in," she said, after I knocked on her door. I opened up and stepped in. The lights were off and the only light was from the hallway and the windows. As my eyes quickly adjusted, I found Chloe. She was laying on her bed with her back facing the door. Chloe rolled over and pulled the light switch. The sudden change of no-light to light caused momentary blindly. Spots danced all over my gaze.

"What do you want?" Chloe asked.

"I wanted to apologize," I answered, sitting down lightly on the edge of her bed. She sat up, drawing her knees to her chest. Right now, she looked so vulnerable and innocent. And beautiful. Was there ever a moment where she didn't look beautiful?

"Oh, no. You don't have to apologize," she told me, trying to reassure me quickly. "It was my fault and-"

"-And nothing," I cut her off. "It wasn't your fault. I should have handled it better." Chloe looked like she wanted to say more, but didn't. She had these moments where she could be so brave and then she's back to a mouse. Of course that was one of the things I admired about her. Chloe would be perfect for a lot of people. She's the perfect girl. But I had to resist the urge to growl at the thought of anyone else looking at her or thinking about her that way. She wasn't allowed to-

"Derek?" her tentative voice brought me out of my thoughts. I looked at her. "You didn't do anything wrong, but I forgive you."

"You shouldn't," I snapped. "What's going to happen when I loose control and hurt or kil-" I couldn't finish that sentence, it was too painful. But I kept my expression blank.

"You won't," she said confidently. "Simon, Tori and I, we're your Pack and you don't hurt Pack, you protect it. Since its part of your wolf instinct, your wolf wouldn't attack us or allow you to attack us. And yelling at us isn't the same thing." Chloe stopped and blushed. I could tell she thought she was babbling, but it had helped.

"Thanks," I whispered.

"What do you think of the new supernaturals?" she asked, abruptly changing the subject.

"I don't like them," I replied bluntly. "And I don't trust them." Chloe smiled and my insides melted into butterflies. She was my brother's; I couldn't be feeling this way. Of course, my stomach didn't listen to me.

"See!" she said triumphantly.

"What?"

"You don't like or trust them because they-"

"-they could endanger my Pack," I finished for her. In a way, her logic made sense. Chloe sighed and moved over on the bed, patting the now empty spot on her right. Hesitantly, I took her motion as to come lay down next to her. She slowly relaxed and snuggled deep into her covers. I wondered why I was here, but I didn't want to go. My control may be good, but it wasn't that good.

"Stay here," she murmured and my ears easily caught her soft voice. "Keep away my nightmares." With that, she fell asleep, slightly snoring. I think Chloe had already been half-asleep when he told me to keep her nightmares away. Wait, the nightmare she'd had!

Disgruntled and half-tempted to wake her up and ask her about her nightmare, I stopped myself and turned off the light. I was about to leave when Chloe rolled over and curled against me. Now I was trapped. If I moved, she would wake up, and she needed her sleep. Giving in to the inevitable, I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

**A/N: In moments of insecurities where you don't think you can write good, it's good to have friends who'll tell you that you do write good. Even if you still think you can't. Please R&R.**


	9. Chapter 9 Simon

**A/N: Since I was focused on Chlerek, I wanted to think about how Simon would think about Derek following Chloe, but I didn't really want him to be extremely mad.**

Chapter Nine

Simon clenched his teeth in anger when he saw Chloe leave the room followed by Derek. Then he took a deep breath to calm himself down. _Chloe is not mine,_ he thought reluctantly._ If Derek wants to follow Chloe and talk to her, then that's none of my business._ Still, it hurt. Derek knew Simon liked Chloe, but no matter how upset he was, Simon knew Derek would never do something intentionally to hurt him. Out of his peripheral vision, Simon saw Kylie stand up and start to walk over to him she was young and her blond hair bounced as she walked.

"Hi," she said brightly. "Simon, right?"

"Yeah," he answered unenthusiastically.

"Is your hair dyed or natural?" Kylie asked hesitantly. His Asian looks always made people think it was dyed, but it wasn't. Simon smiled, saying,

"It's natural."

"Oh, that's awesome!" she breathed. Next to him, Tori snorted, but Simon and Kylie both ignored it. Kylie sat down next to him and asked, "Tomorrow, can you introduce me to Chloe? I want to see what she knows. I've only ever met one necro before."

"Sure," he replied. Though his tone was light, his heart was heavy. What if Chloe liked Derek more that him? Chloe would never hurt anyone purposefully, but unintentionally, her actions may hurt him. What could he do? Kylie nodded to him and left to go talk to Jack. Simon turned to Andrew.

"Is there any good places around here?" he asked hopefully.

"Like public places?" Andrew asked, wanting clarification.

"Like a dinner place, movies, or ice cream place?" Simon elaborated. Andrew looked thoughtful.

"Maybe," he finally said. "I think there is a place or two in town."

"Do you mind if maybe I take Chloe out tomorrow afternoon?"

"I'll have Eva and Aaron check the entire town and stay in town tomorrow. Never know what could happen." Happy that I might have a chance to hang out with Chloe, I finished my supper quickly and left to go to my room. As I laid down on my bed and fell asleep, trying not to notice that Derek's bed was empty, I wondered how Chloe would react when I asked her to come to town with me.

**A/N: Okay, tell me what you think. I'm not sure if I got Simon right, but I tried. R&R please!**


	10. Chapter 10 CPOV

Chapter Ten

_Fire was everywhere, burning so hotly, I could feel the heat from five feet away. Not knowing where I was going, I ran away. Where were Derek, Simon, and Tori? I had to find them, get them out of here._

_A cold, chilling laugh filled the air as I reached a room similar to the one I had just been in. Déjà-vu hit me. Derek was trapped in chains in the middle of the room and I looked to where the fireball had come from in my first dream._

"_Ah, little necromancer, learning how it goes, aren't you?" a suave, silky voice whispered behind me, breath caressing my ear. Terrified, I spun around, but there was no one there. I decided to go release Derek. He would know what to do; he always does._

_In a movie, the time would slow, the background noise would be cut off and all the audience would hear is the pounding of my racing hear as I ran to him. However, time did not slow and I could hear fire crackling and an evil, malicious laugh. Before I could reach Derek, a fireball raced out of the shadows to my right and hit Derek._

"_NO!" I screamed. Derek looked at me, his eyes full of pain, sadness, and- something else I couldn't identify. Then he was gone, incinerated._

"_No!" I screamed again. "Dere-"_

"Chloe!" Derek whispered harshly, waking me up.

"Wh-what?" I stuttered, sitting up. It was about 2:00 in the morning and almost completely dark out. The moon, just starting to wane, was still bright and gave off some light.

"Chloe, take deep breaths," Derek said. My whole body was shaking and I was cold. Since Derek was a built-in heater, I was surprised I wasn't over-heated.

"Why are you here? Where's Tori? What happened? Why-" My questions were one after another. I knew I was babbling, but I couldn't stop. Thankfully, Derek interrupted me,

"Deep breaths." After a minute, I started to calm down and stop shaking. "Do you want to tell me about it?"

"I-I-I-" I began, but stopped when I started to stutter. I tried again, not stuttering this time. I told him everything, not leaving anything out.

"Go to sleep," he finally said, after I was done. "We'll talk about this in the morning."

"Are you okay?" I asked, slowly relaxing back into bed. Through the covers, I felt warm and comfortable, and was glad Derek was there. Somehow, I fell back asleep and didn't notice that he never answered my question.

VVVVV

The smell of food from the kitchen woke me up. I rolled over onto my stomach, groaning. Ligting up my head wearily, I looked at the time. 7:30.

"Chloe? You awake?" Tori asked through the door.

"No," I mumbled, but she heard me.

"Come one," she said, exasperated. "Breakfast is in 20 minutes."

"Fine! I'll be down soon," I called before slowly getting out of bed. I looked around, but didn't see Derek. His side of the bed was still warm. _He must have smelled breakfast_, I thought. Still, he could have woken me up.

Eighteen minutes later, I was showered, dressed, and starving. Sighing, I was about to leaved when something rattled behind me.

"Leaving so… soon, little… girl?" a soft voice rasped.

"Wh-who is th-there?" I stammered, whirling around. Nothing was there.

"A ghost. I'd have thought that obvious, little necro," the voice snickered.

"Wh-what-" I began, but she cut me off furiously,

"Don't talk to me!" Scared, I backed up to the door. Finally, the ghost appeared in front of me. She was young, around 16 or 17, I'd guess.

"What's your n-name?" I finally worked up the courage to ask.

"Mary," the ghost replied, starting to calm down a little.

"Why are y-you-"

"WHAT DID I SAY ABOUT ASKING QUESTIONS?" she roared and a lamp came flying at my head. _Oh, no. Mary's a half-demon like Liz. _She flickered, disappearing then reappearing and all over again. I was too stunned to do anything. Finally, something clicked in my mind and tentatively, I shoved her. Mentally. It worked a little bit. She disappeared for about 5 seconds then came back. While she was distracted trying to get more fully in this world, I shoved again and she disappeared again. This time, she didn't come back.

**A/N: Okay, an update finally. I just put the dreams in there and I know they had a purpose… except I forgot. Any ideas on what could happen with the dreams? Oh, and does anybody know the types of demons? R&R please.**


	11. Chapter 11 CPOV

**A/N: Okay, uhm, new chapter. Thanks for reviewing the last chapter. What do you guys think? R&R please.**

Chapter Eleven

The ghost had been terrifying. No doubt about that. But I didn't want to worry the others. They were happy…content… relaxed… here and I didn't need to bother them with my troubles. Besides, it didn't really matter, since it wouldn't happen again. I took two minutes to clean up the mess from the lamp that had been thrown and trudged down the hall, heading to breakfast.

Silently, I took a seat next to Derek and grabbed a donut. I could feel his eyes on me, no doubt wondering about the crash he'd heard, but we didn't say anything. The others would be able to overhear and for that I was grateful. Last night was… indescribable, but I didn't want to talk about it. Especially with Derek. Simon cleared his throat, catching my attention.

"Chloe? Kylie wanted to talk to you. Did you have time later?" he asked. For a second, I was confused. _Why was Simon asking me and not Kylie?_ Then I realized I was mostly with Derek and Kylie seemed afraid of him.

"S-sure?" I answered, but it was phrased more like a question.

"Great," Simon said happily.

"Okay, the town is clear," Andrew announced loudly, coming into the room.

"Good!" Tori exclaimed dramatically. "I need new clothes. Chloe and I will walk the dog." I choked on the milk I was drinking and Derek glared at her. Simon laughed and shook his head.

"Walk the dog?" Kylie asked, confusion in her tone. Tobias stared at her incredulously and she blushed when she caught on.

"I'll come too," Simon said. "I want to check out the store. See if they have any drawing supplies."

"Okay," Andrew said, something flashing in his eyes. "But take an adult with you."

Tori sighed, as if that was the greatest burden ever.

"_Fine,_" she huffed. "Aaron, you're coming with us."

"What?" he exclaimed. "Why me?"

"Because you have some fashion sense, and I need your opinion," Tori explained, speaking slowly like she would to a child. Of course, that's why she was bringing me along too. Apparently, I had good fashion sense. Tori was taking Derek because we needed somebody who could keep guard and who would keep us safe. Derek was the obvious choice, also because we didn't really know any of the others.

"I'm coming, too," Simon put in and Tori huffed again, but didn't argue. He turned towards me, "Chloe? Can I show you something?" Quickly finishing the rest of my donut and milk, I nodded and we stood up, leaving the room.

We walked up to Simon's and Derek's room and Simon rummaged through a dresser, looking for something. I sat down on Derek's bed, wondering what was going on. Finally, Simon said 'ah-ha' and pulled something out from a drawer. It took me a second, but then I recognized his sketchbook. Simon sat down next to me and showed me some drawings. They were of what had happened earlier this year. Lyle House, escaping, the attack at Andrew's house and finally, coming here. The only thing missing was my adventure to the headquarters and with Derek and the werewolves, but I didn't mind. I'd rather have those moments not immortalized.

"So, uhm… Chloe," Simon began nervously. Simon, nervous? "Would you g-"

"Hey lover-boy! Get death-girl and let's go. You're wasting daylight!" Tori's loud shout interrupted whatever Simon was going to say and he sighed, frustrated.

"Just tell me tomorrow," I told him, standing up. He put his sketches away.

"Sure… tomorrow." We headed back downstairs and found Derek, Tori, and Aaron waiting for us impatiently.

"Finally," Tori exclaimed. "We thought you'd _never_ come." She motioned eagerly for us to follow and she bounded out the door. Though it all seemed safe, we had Derek and Aaron, I couldn't help but wonder if this was such a good idea or not.

**A/N: I just realized that I'm getting kinda bored. Nothing is really happening. The next chapter will be longer, I promise. What do you think should happen when they go to town? **


	12. Chapter 12 DPOV

**A/N: My longest chapter yet! R&R please.**

Chapter Twelve

I didn't think that this trip was a good idea, but I had to go along to protect my Pack. Tori was happy and chattering away to Aaron and Simon and Chloe were being quiet. Briefly, I considered asking her what was wrong but figured she wouldn't answer or she would be mad.

The walk to town took about twenty long minutes. I have to say that the town was not at all like I expected. There were lots of people and a lot of stores. And in the edge of the town, there was a bulletin board and I saw a picture of Chloe on it. _Crap,_ I thought and quickly pulled Chloe next to me.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. Simon looked at me and I nodded. Tori sighed, already figuring out what was going on,

"Guess we're going to have to dye your hair again." Poor Aaron looked confused as we hurried into the nearest store which just happened to be Wal-Mart. Immediately, we went to the hair products aisle.

"No black this time," Chloe said firmly, remembering the last time we were forced to dye her hair. I winced and pulled a reddish color off the shelf. Tori frowned and pulled off a different red, then compared the two colors. After careful consideration that took forever, she and Chloe decided on the red Tori had chosen. I was hopeless when it came to dye.

Without a word, Simon took the dye and went to check out. He pulled out some money that Andrew had given him. Quickly, he paid and came back.

"Aaron, take Tori and Simon shopping. I'll take Chloe to change," I ordered. "And if anything happens to them, I hold you responsible." With my warning given, but angry that I have to leave Simon- and Tori- with Aaron, I grabbed Chloe's arm and pulled her out of the store, looking for a place to dye her hair.

Conveniently, there was a swim shack with showers.

"Derek!" Chloe whispered furiously, trying to discreetly yank her arm out of my grip without attracting attention. Loosening my grip slightly, I led her to the showers, choosing the one labeled 'Family'.

"Derek!" she repeated and I finally let go of her.

"Come on; lets get your hair taken care of," I said, taking the dye from her and walking over to the sink.

"N-not until you a-apologize." Stubbornly, Chloe didn't move and I snapped,

"Get over here. I'm not letting our safety be compromised because you're being stupidly stubborn." Her eyes widened in hurt and immediately, I felt bad, but I had to protect her.

"Come here… please," I repeated softer and gentler. Quietly, she walked over to me and stood in front of the sink. I ripped the package open, put the protective gloves on, and started working the dye into her hair.

Time was lost as I just kept adding the color and massaging it in. Eventually, I reluctantly stopped and leaned against the wall, peeling off my gloves. She put a plastic hair net on, so the dye wouldn't get everywhere and jumped on the counter, resting against the mirror.

"I'm sorry," I muttered, two minutes later. Chloe sighed wearily.

"It's okay." All of a sudden, I remembered she was going to tell me about her dreams.

"You said you would tell me about your dream-" I started to remind her, but she interrupted me,

"I know." I waited impatiently for her to continue and after a brief hesitation, she did.

"It started the same both times. There was fire everywhere and it was really hot. I moved around and eventually came to this room. You w-were ch-chained in the m-middle of the r-room. A fireball came shooting out of the c-corner and y-you d-d-died." Her voice broke and she quickly continued, rushing and tripping through her sentences. "But also in the s-second- I knew w-what was g-going to- and then wh-when I l-looked- he kn-knew m-me."

I cut her off by hugging her close.

"Shh…" I murmured as she started to cry.

"It was so horrible," she whispered hoarsely.

"Come on," I said unenthusiastically. "Lets get the dye out of your hair." Against me, she nodded in agreement. I turned around and held her clothes- don't think about it, don't think about it, don't think about it- as she rinsed the dye out.

Twenty minutes later, we stepped out of the family shower and went to go find Tori, Simon, and Andrew. She was wearing my sweater, to kind of hide her face. We found them at the CITGO gas station, getting some food. Just then, Chloe's stomach rumbled and I snorted.

Tori pulled Chloe's hood down and smiled in appreciation at the change. It didn't look as bad as the black did and seemed more natural. Aaron was less confused than before; it seemed like neither Simon nor Tori had filled him in. Simon motioned for us to follow him as he headed out of the store. Chloe hesitated next to me, then quickly gave me a light kiss on the cheek- me resisting the urge to turn around and kiss her on the lips- and she skipped off, following Simon and the others.

We went out close to the forest to eat. Aaron, Tori, and Simon were telling Chloe what they had gotten when we had been off. They had five bags of stuff, all clothes- and deodorant for me. For the first time in a while, we were all happy and content. Nobody was chasing us and it was nice. It gave us a chance to relax, before we had to go again.

Suddenly, the wind shifted and I smelled something peculiar. I started to growl. The scent was bad. Next to me, Chloe looked up at me, a question in her eyes.

"Is he doing that smelling thing again?" Tori asked. Simon rolled his eyes and I ignored them both, answered Chloe's unspoken question.

"Something's out there. I'm going to go check it out." With that, I left. A vicious snarl came from my left and a wolf came tearing out of the forest, heading for my Pack and Aaron. I reacted quickly, racing for the wolf, preparing to knock him over. To their credit, they all reacted quickly. My Pack and Aaron jumped up and Tori's hand flashed. There was a bang and a bright light knocking the wolf over.

Undeterred, the wolf stood up and came forward, more warily now. I saw a bird fly from the forest and come towards us. When it started attacking the wolf's eyes, I noticed it's death-ridden smell and recognized Chloe's work. Fire then exploded from Aaron and raced towards the wolf, who narrowly dodged it, but still being stung.

_What could we do?_ I wondered, staring at the wolf. Finally, I decided on the best course of action.

"Run for the trees. Climb them. Then attack him!" I shouted, catching their attention. I reached the trees first, shoving Tori, Simon, and Aaron up. Chloe came a little slower and the wolf right behind her. He was just about to reach her when fury rippled over me. He would never touch Chloe.

I ran as fast as I could and tackled the wolf, ignoring his claws, which scratched me. Then two new- dead- scents entered the fray. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Chloe staring in horror at us, then she snapped out of it, looking up at Tori. Tori threw something to Chloe. Chloe threw it to me and I somehow managed to catch it. The switchblade.

Without thinking twice about it, I snapped the blade open and re-entered the fight, stabbing at the wolf. When he saw the blade, the wolf jumped away, with the two dead dogs following. Giving us a glare, which looked odd on a wolf, he sprinted away. The dogs looked at Chloe, who nodded, and they slinked away. I turned around to my Pack and Aaron and barely had enough time to catch Chloe before she fainted. Her leg was bleeding from a scratch mark. Thankfully, just a scratch mark. But it was bleeding heavily. _No…_

**A/N: I briefly considered having Derek change and then was like, nah. It wouldn't have worked. Darn. I'm looking for to him changing. **


	13. Chapter 13 Andrew

**A/N: Andrew's reaction to when they come home and Chloe's leg is bleeding. R&R please.**

Chapter Thirteen

Andrew finished typing his email and sent it just as the kids walked in. The first thing he noticed was that they were all out of breath, the second thing he noticed was that Chloe's hair was red, and the last thing he noticed was that Derek was carrying her and she was bleeding.

"What happened?" Andrew exclaimed, rushing over to them. He moved to take Chloe, but Derek growled at him.

"Come on," Tori snapped impatiently and this time Derek let Andrew take Chloe.

"Stay here," Andrew ordered them. Andrew raced upstairs to a spare bedroom and shouted for Eva. The bleeding had to be stopped. Hopefully, Chloe would be okay.

_Who had cut her? _Andrew wondered as he and Eva worked to clean the wound. Had Derek?_ You knew there was a chance Derek would hurt them,_ he reminded himself. Even so, Andrew would wait until later to get the story about what happened.

Finally, Eva and Andrew were finished. Chloe's leg was cleaned and the bleeding had stopped. Quickly, Andrew thanked Eva and went down to where Derek, Simon, and Tori were waiting. Aaron had flitted off some where; Andrew would have to catch him later.

Derek was angry, extremely so. His eyes had darkened, but he didn't say anything. Tori also looked mad, but more at herself, and she was anxious. Simon looked terrified. _Hmmm… Chloe and Simon would look good together._ The stray thought popped into his head. Yes. And plus Simon would take care of her and wouldn't hurt her.

"What happened?" Andrew asked, looking at all of them. Derek clenched his teeth and Tori told him what had happened.

**A/N: Sorry its so short, but I don't really like writing from Andrew. **


	14. Chapter 14 CPOV

**A/N: Okay, I'll try to keep this short. Thanks for the lovely (I can't believe I just typed that word) reviews and your support. I'd almost feel sorry for Andrew…. except I don't like him. Uhm… I think I created a poll on my page to see who you wanted to be EG, so check that out. I've never done anything like this, so I don't know how it works. Enjoy the new chapter.**

Chapter Fourteen

I opened my eyes, and then wished I had kept them shut. My leg hurt and itched like crazy and I had a huge headache. The last thing I remember… the wolf! There was a wolf and it attacked us! Was everyone safe? What happened?

"Is she awake?" I heard a familiar voice ask from just outside the door.

"I think her breathing changed, so maybe," another voice answered. It took me a second, but then I recognized the first speaker as Simon and the second as Derek. What were they doing?

"Do you think Tori distracted Andrew?" Simon asked. I wanted to know what was going on. Why didn't they come in?

"Derek?" I whispered and movement outside the door stopped

"She's awake, I think," Derek told Simon.

"Of course, I'm awake," I snapped, louder this time so Simon could hear me too. Immediately, the door opened and they came in.

"How are you? How's your leg? Are you okay? Does anything hurt?" Simon's questions made my head spin. I've never heard him this way.

"Are you okay?" I asked him. Simon frowned and before he could answer my question, I answered his, "I'm itchy, it itches, I'm fine, my head." Derek was looking at me hard, trying to discern if I was lying and I met his gaze squarely. Finally, Derek nodded in acceptance of my answers and inquired,

"Can you walk?" He reached out his hand and gratefully, I took it as he helped me up. Simon seemed relieved that I was okay, but I didn't know why. When I asked why, Simon and Derek exchanged a solemn glance.

"What?" I demanded, hating that I was out of the loop.

"Chloe… you've been out for a week," Derek reluctantly muttered. I gasped and would have fallen if Derek and Simon hadn't grabbed my arms to steady me, helping me sit down.

"Are you serious?" I asked incredulously. Simon nodded and I gently extracted my arms from their grips. "Explain what happened."

Slowly, they started to tell me what had happened. Me fainting, taking me home, Andrew and Eva caring for me, and then waiting for me to wake up. The door suddenly opened and Andrew came bursting in.

"What are you doing here?" Andrew exclaimed to Derek and Simon, ignoring me.

"Checking on Chloe," Derek replied, his voice taking on a dangerous edge. Something entered Andrew's eyes that made me wonder what happened between them. Finally, Andrew choose the course of ignoring them and came over to me, assessing how I looked.

"Are you okay?" His tone was a little less hostile and more friendly. Confused, I looked at Derek, but he only shook his head.

"I'm f-fine. Just a little headache but I want to go walk around, so Simon and Derek can fill me in on what happened." The lie, that came so easily to my lips, made me want to duck my head in shame, but something was going on with Derek, Simon, and Andrew and I wanted to find out.

"Oh, thank God you're awake!" Tori exclaim. "It would have been so horrible if you had left me alone with them." I shook my head at what she said, but allowed Derek and Simon to help me out.

"Derek?" Andrew called. Derek ignored him and kept walking. Curiosity burned and made me want to ask what that had all been about, but Derek would not open up in front of Simon and Tori. I'd have to catch him alone.

"I put the stuff I bought for you on your bed, so it's probably collected a lot of dust," Tori complained. Simon rolled his eyes and I looked between him and Tori. Something tugged at the back of my mind, but I decided to ignore it.

"Be careful," Andrew yelled, as we headed outside. I guess he was giving up on whatever the Derek thing was.

"Whatever," Simon and Tori yelled back at the same time. Tori looked at Simon in horror and ran off screaming,

"Oh my god, I'm cutting off my tongue!" Derek, Simon and I watching in confusion as she raced back towards the house. Simon sighed and groaned,

"I'd better go make sure she doesn't do that." Simon left and I turned slowly to face Derek. He knew what was coming and he wasn't disappointed as I started to ask,

"What's going on with you and-" I cut myself off as a kid I had never seen before walked outside.

"Who are you?" Derek demanded, shooting to his feet. The kid answered steadily, looking Derek in the eye,

"I'm Damon, Tobias's son."

**A/N: Hi, me again. The person in bold letters. I almost thought about doing this in all uppercase, but decided against it. I had sugar. Anyways, I felt I needed something else, so I added Damon. I wish I could tell you what's going to happen and its bugging me that I can't. AGH! Frustration! Oh, well. You'll find out soon enough.**


	15. Chapter 15 CPOV

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to post but I had finals and then school let out and my grandparents came and it's just been hectic. Hope you enjoy. More chapters with be infrequent over the summer since I'll be doing a lot of stuff.**

Chapter Fifteen

"Tobias has a son?" Confused, I turned to Derek, but he was staring at Damon who was staring at me. _Why was he staring at me?_

"Obviously, since I'm here. Are you coming?" Tobias said. He turned around and walked into the house. After a pause, I followed. Derek jerked me back and I looked up at him in surprise.

"I'll go first," Derek said. Internally, I rolled my eyes but allowed Derek to go fist. He checked things then nodded and I went in after him. As much as I lov- Derek was a good friend, his overprotectiveness could be annoying. Damon led us into the kitchen where everyone was waiting. Andrew's eyes flashed when he saw Derek and I enter together but he didn't say anything.

Simon and Tori were sitting on opposite ends of the table; Simon drawing and Tori studying her fingernails.

"Chloe!" Kylie exclaimed. "You're awake!" Nervously, I nodded and sat down. Behind me, I felt Derek sit down.

"How do you feel?" Andrew asked, the concern in his voice genuine.

"Uhm… okay?"

"Good," Andrew said. "Derek, do you want to go with Tobias?" I turned to look at Derek and saw him nod sharply. _Go with Tobias?_ What did that mean? Before I could ask anything, Andrew continued, "Tori- you're with Eva and Simon, you're with Jack." _What was going on?_

"Chloe, you're with me," Kylie told me as Simon, Tori, Tobias, Eva, Jack and finally Derek stood up and left. Finally, I couldn't contain my curiosity and asked,

"What are you talking about?"

"We're teaching you how to use your powers or prepare for them when you're able to do harder stuff," Kylie answered. She led me out to the driveway and suddenly Damon asked behind us,

"Can I come?" I didn't have time to protest before Kylie nodded and Damon let out a whoop of joy.

"Oh,cool!" he exclaimed, taking the seat next to me as we got in a red SUV. Kylie started up the car and started driving. "I've never seen necromancers use their powers before. But yours should be real bright- I can't really tell- so this should be fun."

"Damon…" Kylie said, a warning in her voice which I ignored.

"My what is bright?" I demanded, confused. Self-consciously I looked all over me, but I couldn't see anything.

"Your necromancer glow," Damon explained, using a 'duh' voice. "Its what marks you as a necromancer and demons and ghosts can see it." He paused for a second then added, "And the brighter the glow, the more powerful a necromancer's powers are. But your glow is kinda hazy, like something's wrong with it."

"Could it be my necklace?"

"A necklace?"

"Yeah. My mom gave it to me when I was little. She said it would protect me." I reached up to my neck and pulled on the chain. Damon leaned closer and studied the blue gem I held.

"I've heard of necklaces like that," Kylie said. "They're just superstition." Suddenly, a thought occurred to me.

"Wait- why can you see my glow?" I asked Damon. He looked surprised at my question, then thoughtful.

"The Edison Group changed my eyesight," he finally answered me. For some reason, I got the feeling he wasn't being entirely truthful, but I didn't want to push so I let it go.

A while later, Kylie pulled into the Wal-Mart parking lot and stopped the car as far away from the entrance as possible.

"Why are we here?" I asked, but Kylie didn't answer my question as she motioned for Damon and me to follow her. We walked on the sidewalk for about 10 minutes until we came to a stop at the edge of a cemetery.

I stopped at the edge of the cemetery, when Kylie opened the gate and walked in, apparently expecting Damon and I to follow her- which Damon had. Dead bodies and I don't mix. Eventually, Kylie noticed I wasn't moving and said,

"Come on, Chloe."

"What if I accidentally raise one?"

"Pf- you can't raise the dead accidentally," Kylie said, dumbfounded. "There's a ritual that has to be done and you can't have learned that at the Edison Group." I was confused. I had raised the dead at the house Derek, Simon, Tori and I had slept. I could still remember him crawling over me. And then there had been the incident with the dead bat. I had also raised two dogs to help defeat the wolf that had attacked us. But I hadn't used any ritual; I had just kind of… well, I don't even know what I had done.

"What about ghosts then?"

"Can you see ghosts?"

"Of course. Can't you?"

"Well, duh. But…" Kylie seemed hesitant to say more. "But the other necromancer I've talked to said that it was hard to see ghosts when you're that young. And he said that it takes years of training to properly commune with one and raise the dead." Hmm… But… that made no sense. Of course! The Edison Group. Amazing how everything always came down to them. They must have changed my powers so that I didn't need rituals and I could access my powers easier.

Warily, I crossed into the cemetery and was relieved when nothing happened.

"What about the flashbacks or whatever?" Kylie looked confused and then it dawned on her what I was talking about.

"Do you mean residuals?"

"That's where you see something that's already happened. Like events stuck on repeat." She nodded in confirmation, then told me,

"Don't be worried about that just yet. You won't be able to see them for at least one more year." If I was confused before, I was even more confused now.

"I don't understand," I said slowly. "I've raised the dead at Lyle House and other places, I can talk to ghosts, and I already see residuals or whatever they are." Something flashed in Kylie's eyes but before I could read what it was it had disappeared.

"Well… I'm sure you thought you rose the dead… but everytime you think you did, you were under a lot of stress and maybe you-"

"Were imagining things?" I finished for her flatly. Kylie grimaced as I continued, "I don't think I was imagining things. Derek, Simon, and Tori also saw them. Besides they felt real."

"Well… if you say so," Kylie shrugged, ignoring my words completely. "Now, come on." Sighing, I gave in and followed her and Damon to a grave.

"Don't worry; it'll be okay," Damon whispered.

"I'm not so sure," I whispered back and hoped that this wouldn't turn out as bad as I thought it would.

**A/N: I was going to combine chapter fifteen and sixteen, but decided against it. Plus, I don't have anymore time right now to add more. But I'll try to get the next chapter up soon. I'm going to be in Madison from 6/20 to 7/10 with little internet access, but I promise to write at least 2 chapters during that time, then post when I get back.**


	16. Chapter 16 CPOV

**A/N: Finally, I'm writing a new chapter. Its gonna be short cuz I don't have a whole lot of time to write, but I'll write more frequently even if its short. And plus, I got my own laptop, so I can type without having to share the computer with 5 other people although the 'p' button keeps breaking. And I couldn't think of anything else to do so I just used part of the Reckoning to help me, but I'll try not to do it so more.**

**Oh, and I don't own any of the DP characters. **

**Chapter Sixteen**

"Chloe, are you alright?" Derek's worried voice brought me out of my stupor. I was in the bedroom I was sharing with Tori, and I hadn't realized it, but I had been pacing.

"I'm fine," I called back. No doubt he would know that I was lying but I was too confused to figure anything out.

Nothing had happened at all in the graveyard, and when I say nothing, I mean nothing. My powers had not worked. At first, I thought it was the stress from running from the Edison group, but that didn't make any sense, seeing as I've been hiding from them before and my powers worked just fine then. Then I started to worry that I was loosing my powers. What if I wasn't a necromancer anymore?

"Chloe?" Derek said again. "I'm coming in."

"Wha- No, I swear I'm fine," I told him, but it was too late. Derek came right in and one look on my face probably confirmed his suspicions that I was lying.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm _fine_." I added more emphasis to the 'fine', hoping that would help, but it only made Derek more suspicious.

"Don't lie. I heard Kylie talking to Andrew downstairs."

"W-what if I'm n-not a necromancer anymore?" Derek came over and hesitantly pulled me into a hug.

"This kind of stuff… It doesn't go away…" Derek tried to comfort me. "It's in your genes and your genes are always there. And they might go dormant for a bit. Yours could just be reacting to stress or-" He stopped talking abruptly and I asked,

"What?"

"Nothing," Derek said. "You'll be fine."

"Okay," I muttered and stood up, just as Tori walked into the room and said,

"Supper's read- What are you guys doing?" Derek and I stole exchanged glances and Derek stood up.

"Nothing," he told Tori and walked past her. Tori looked at me with raised eyebrow, but I just shrugged. After a minute, we followed Derek and I wondered, _Had I done something wrong?_


	17. Chapter 17 CPOV

**A/N: Thank you guys for all the lovely reviews. My FanFic name did come from Sherrilyn Kenyon's Born of Night. Has anyone read Infinity? I was a little confused by it, but it was epic. Well, here's the newest chapter. R&R please. Oh yeah, and if any of you have read Mortal Instruments, I'm starting a FanFic for that, so check it out please.**

**I don't own any of the DP characters.**

Chapter Seventeen

Dinner was quiet. Nobody really had anything to say. Andrew tried to get small talk started a couple of times, but that failed.

After dinner, we all made our way slowly back to our rooms. Derek looked like he wanted to tell me something, but he only shook his head and Tori and I closed the door behind us.

"That wasn't awkward at all," she breathed. I shrugged and laid down on my bed. Tori huffed in annoyance at my silence and I felt kind of bad about not talking to her, but got over it when she changed into pajamas and fell asleep.

I was about to do the same when something came flying at my head.

As I rolled out of the way, I recognized it as a lamp. It crashed where my head had been only a couple of seconds before. Then Mary materialized. To make matters worse, Tori woke up and Derek called from the hallway,

"Chloe?"


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in a while, but I kinda suck at focus and updating and I'm really busy with school starting. So here it is. Hopefully, I'll become more consistent. **

**Chapter Eighteen**

~Chloe~

I opened my mouth to call back, but Mary snapped,

"Be silent." Startled, I closed my mouth and watched her warily.

"C-chloe," Tori mumbled in the middle of a yawn. "What was that?" Her words were slurred, Tori being still half-asleep.

"Nothing," I replied, not taking my eyes off of Mary. Then, louder, I added, "I'm fine. Go back to bed." Suddenly, Mary let out a sharp laugh that made me jump.

"You think to protect your friends," she laughed. "How foolish of you, little necromancer." She walked over to Tori. "If I wanted to hurt your friends, you wouldn't be able to stop me."

"L-leave them a-alone," I stammered and got out of bed. Mary turned back to me and said,

"It wasn't very nice of you to make me leave earlier, little necromancer."

"I'm sorry?" I apologized. She seemed pleased by my apology and gave me a small smile. Then she frowned.

"What if you're not sorry? My brother was a necromancer too. He never meant sorry when he said."

"No no. I am sorry," I told her quickly. _Did she have split personality or what?_ Again, she relaxed and told me, in a low voice,

"You're much nicer than my brother."

"You have a brother?" I hoped that he wasn't a ghost also.

"Yeah. He was my best friend… and technically my half-brother. Our fathers were different. That didn't matter." Mary paused. She continued, "Then we got our powers… and They came."

"Who came?" Mary kept talking, as if I hadn't spoken.

"They came, and suddenly, he wouldn't talk to me about anything anymore. They turned him against me. The Edison Group turned my brother against me." She started to cry, an odd thing to see a ghost do. I just stood by my bed as the full impact of what Mary had said hit me. The Edison Group? She must have been part of the first round of kids that the Edison Group experimented on. I mean, they had to start somewhere.

"Are you okay?" I asked Mary tentatively. She looked up and by the way her eyes flashed, I could tell that she was mad.

"Am I okay?" she roared and rushed towards me. Mary stopped an inch away from me. The lights began to flicker. Tori stayed asleep. "Am I OKAY? I lost my brother and you have the gall to ask me if I AM OKAY!"

Something shoved into me and I flew backwards against the wall. Tori snorted and rolled over, but stayed asleep. The door opened and Derek came in. He saw me on the floor and rushed over to help me up. I bit back a groan as I moved; there must be some bruises. Mary wasn't done though. She was really mad.

"Is it a ghost?" Derek demanded, following my eyes and looking at where I was.

"Yeah. Her name is Mary. She's like Liz," I answered him.

"Aw… lookie here. The little necromancer has a pet," Mary cooed.

"G-go away," I ordered her shakily. For a second, Mary flickered, then she came back.

"Nuh- uh- uh," she said. "Gotta be a little more firm, little necromancer."

"Chloe, breathe. Concentrate," Derek murmured in my ear.

"Easy for you to say," I muttered back at him. His arms wrapped around me and I leaned back into his strength. Mary had stopped moving and then she smiled.

"Who's your friend?" she asked calmly. _What was with her mood swings? Ghostly PMS?_ Honestly, they were kind of scary. Mary took a step forward and I flinched back. She looked on me impassively as I answered,

"His name is Derek." Mary came closer and inspected Derek. I needed to get her away from him. I couldn't stand it if he was hurt.

"Wh-whats your brother's name?" I stammered.

"Uh-uh-uh… I know what you're trying to do…" she admonished me. "But I'll tell you anyway." She came closer to me and left Derek. Internally, I let out a sigh of relief.

"Chloe, what's going on?" he demanded.

"Uhm… nothing. Everything's fine," I said. Then Mary started talking about her brother,

"His name was Jack and he was a necromancer, like you." Mary seemed lost in her thoughts. _You have to concentrate, Chloe_, I imagined Derek telling me. Just one shove. "He had brown hair, blue eyes, and a pretty regular face." I wrinkled my forehead in confusion; I had seen a painting or a picture of a guy with brown hair and blue eyes in one of the hallyways. He was standing next to a girl… maybe… Okay, forget about it for now. Get rid of Mary first. Quickly, I shoved Mary with all I could.

She came back angrily.

"No!" she screamed. Mary glared at me and I flew back into Derek. We hit against the wall and fell to the floor.

"Oh, yeah," I told him sheepishly. "She's tel-telekinetic, like Liz." Derek frowned at me.

"And you couldn't tell me this sooner?" he demanded me. He helped me up and I didn't hear Mary anymore.

"I'm s-sorry, but I think she's gone now." We stood facing each other and then I realized how close we were.

My cheeks turned red and I tried to take a step back. Derek grabbed my shoulders and I stopped. We were so close. But… I didn't… I couldn't… Derek was too bossy, too big… yet when I was with him, I was safe. No matter what anybody thought, Derek was in control and would NEVER harm me or anyone else.

Taking a deep breath, I leaned up to Derek. Our eyes met and Derek brushed his hand against my neck.

And then, we were kissing.

~Derek~

Suddenly, Chloe crashed into me and we flew out the door. Thankfully, no one woke up. I helped Chloe up and my heart skipped a beat at our closeness… _No!_ I reminded myself. _Simon likes her._ But some part of me wanted to give up responsibility. Just one kiss…

Chloe turned red and tried to move away but I couldn't bear the thought of not being near her. Automatically, I reached out and grabbed her. She froze immediately, but I didn't sense that she was afraid.

She turned up to me and I lost myself in her gaze. I knew I shouldn't do this. It was wrong because of Simon… Still, one kiss couldn't hurt.

I brushed my hand against her neck, craving contact. Slowly, I leaned down.

Then, we were kissing.


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: Just a quick update… I vaguely considered having someone interrupt them, but I figured that after 17 chapters, they deserved some time. I don't know how longer this is gonna go on, but I think it'll all be over by chapter 30. Updates are gonna be more frequent since school started at I write a lot while the teacher is talking. Enjoy. R&R please!**

**Chapter Nineteen**

~Chloe~

We had to come up to breathe. Not that I would have minded not stopping at all.

"Wow," I whispered. My knees were weak and it was hard to keep myself up. I was grateful for Derek's support.

I looked up at Derek and was surprised to see regret in his eyes. _Had I really been that bad?_ I couldn't help but wonder.

"Right," I sighed. "That was obviously a mistake." Now I could see that he was confused.

"You thought that was a mistake?" he demanded.

"No, but you do."

"What?"

"I c-could see th-the r-regret in your eyes." _Do NOT cry, Chloe. Do not cry,_ I screamed to myself. "I mean that was only my first kiss, so I probably wasn't that goo-"

"Chloe," Derek cut me off gently. I stopped my tirade and looked up at him. Before I could stop it, a tear escaped and Derek brushed it away. He was different, not very controlling or demanding; he wasn't yelling at me or chewing me out for messing something up. "I don't regret our kiss," he told me. "I do not regret it."

"But-" I began. He cut me off again,

"I regret the pain that this will cause Simon."

"What pain?" I was so confused. There was Simon and he was nice and sweet and supportive. Then there was Derek. He drove me mad, being overprotective, temperamental, and controlling. Yet I never felt towards Simon like what I felt towards Derek. But I didn't want to hurt Simon.

"Simon likes you, Chloe."

"I wish it wasn't this way, but I don't want to hurt Simon's feelings." There was a long pause.

"So… you're choosing Simon?" To his credit, Derek didn't sound angry, just resigned. I hesitated.

"Derek… I think that my feelings for Simon aren't like the feeling that I have for you. Simon's like a big brother to me and you… I like you more than a brother, Derek." Inwardly, I cringed. That sounded so weird.

"I like you better as a blonde," Derek suddenly said. Okay… random topic change. He leaned down and pressed his lips against mine before I could say anything. They were warm and gentle, melding perfectly to mine.

For the second time that night, we were kissing. I hoped that everything turned out alright tomorrow.


	20. Chapter 20

**A/N: Well, here is an update finally. I just got so caught up in school work, I completely forgot about it. R&R please. **

**Chapter Twenty**

~Chloe~

Sometime later as Derek and I went back to our respective rooms, I wondered what he'd meant by the hair comment. Then I shrugged. He'd probably just been nervous and blurted out something random.

I lay down in my bed and I quickly fell asleep.

With a smile on my face.

~Derek~

The next morning, I woke up happy. I walked out of my room and saw Chloe at the door. Jest as I was about to say something, I heard voices, Andrew's and Eva's. Ah… so Chloe was eavesdropping.

"Who are or's parents?" that was Andrew. They were talking about Tori? Didn't they know?

"Well, she's that one witch's from the Edison group and rumor has it, a sorcerer…" I recognized Eva's voice. But Tori's dad was human; I remembered that much about her.

"A sorcerer? Are you sure?"

"Yes. Positive. And not just any old sorcerer… it's that Simon kid's father."

I could see Chloe opened her mouth, as if to make a sound and I silently moved behind her and put my hand over her mouth, dragging her backwards. Inside, I was reeling.

Tori and Simon were brother and sister?


	21. Chapter 21

**A/N: I'M SO SORRY FOR NOT UPDATING! Just summer and distractions, plus a lot of drama. Well, no more excuses. R&R&Enjoy!**

Chapter Twenty-One

~Chloe~

I was grabbed from behind and I froze in terror. Somebody had found me eavesdropping.

Then I recognized Derek's hands. Oh. So he was the one who'd found me. Relief coursed through me. And then anticipation. I also felt a little guilty for getting caught but I ignored that mostly. When we were farther away, he demanded,

"What were you doing?"

"N-nothing." Derek stared at me. I squirmed under his gaze until he sighed.

"Are you going to tell Tori?"

"Yes. I mean, it has to do with her. And she deserves to know Simon does too. They're brother and sister and-"

"Chloe."

"S-sorry." Derek leaned down and kissed me. Though surprised, I was happy and I kissed him back. His tongue flicked against my lips and I gasped in surprise.

Just as sudden as it had begun, it was over. I was breathing hard and so was Derek. A part of me was glad to know that I wasn't the only one affected.

"Derek." I reached out to touch him but he brushed my hand away.

"No, Chloe. We can't do this." I froze. My heart cracked. Surely-

"What do you m-mean?"

"Us. We can't be together."

"N-no. P-please d-don't do this." Tears started to well up in my eyes. It didn't make sense. Weren't we both attracted to each other? Unless it was just all me.

"Yes, Chloe. It's over." No This couldn't- why was his doing this? This couldn't be happened. Denial raced through me even as I knew that this was real, that it wasn't just my imagination.

Derek brushed away the tears that had started to fall my cheeks. I wanted to scream, shout or throw something. Anything to drown out what he was telling me. But I couldn't move or say anything.

Then he brushed a kiss on my forehead and walked away. The cracks in my heart grew larger and then my heart shattered into a million pieces.

My knees threatened to collapse but somehow they held me up. I started to walk; I had to get away. Nobody stopped me. Tori and Simon still in their rooms, the adults wrapped up in their super-secret conversation, and Derek- No.

Somewhere in my head, I knew that if I'd liked Simon instead of Derek, my heart would've been safe. But I didn't care. It was all done.

Then somehow I was in the middle of the forest. I was finally alone. I could let go

So I let go.

I opened my moth and screamed at the sky. Screamed my anger and sadness, even as I wanted it all to just be a dream. It wasn't.

There was a flash of light and I blacked out.

~Derek~

It broke my heart to do that to Chloe. But it wasn't safe for us to be together. With the Edison Group lurking god knows where, relationships would just get in the way. If I- If something happened to me- No. That wouldn't happen. I wouldn't let it.

I walked into the kitchen and poured myself a bowl of Wheaties. They were tasteless. How could I have an appetite after I'd done that?

I was pulling an Edward, doing this. But I would stay here, unlike that pathetic useless fictional character, and protect Chloe. Even if she hated me, I could at least do that.

Why did I even know about Twilight? Dumb ads always on TV.

"Hey," Simon said, walking into the kitchen and grabbing some OJ out of the fridge. I nodded to him.

An earsplitting shriek interrupted our breakfast. Simon and I shared a look. We knew who it was.

Tori stormed into the kitchen.

"Why the hell is there a hole in the wall?" Simon and I ignored her. "Dog," Tori addressed me now. "Why. Is. There. A. Hole?" I looked up and put on a clueless face.

"How should I know?"

"And," she continued, overriding me, "the room is trashed and I can't find Chloe!"

"Chloe's missing?" Simon asked, the concern in his voice ripping straight into my gut.

"I just saw her 10 minutes ago in the hallway," I said, annoyed, even as my heart clenched. Ten minutes ago, I'd just broken up with Chloe.

"I was just in the hallway," Tori snarled. "She's not there."


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: I know it took me so long. I'm really sorry! But I know what will happen next and I'll update soon. Promise. :D So whatcha think?

Chapter Twenty-Two

~Third Person~

It took a minute for what Tori had said to sink into Derek and Simon's mind. Then they were up, food discarded, and heading to the hallway.

"Got her scent?" Simon demanded. Derek cast him a look then inhaled deeply. There was Tori's scent, Simon's, Andrew's… there! Chloe's sweet scent.

Derek didn't bother saying anything, just followed her scent. Simon and Tori followed closely behind him. Her scent led into the forest. None of them stopped; they had to find Chloe.

~Chloe~

I woke up and found Damon leaning over me. What? Derek had- I had been in the forest and then I'd fainted.

"Are you okay?" he asked. _No._ But I nodded. He held out his hand and helped me up.

"Thanks," I mumbled and brushed myself out. I was in the forest, but I wasn't exactly sure where or how long I'd been here. "How'd you find me?" Damon gave me a pointed look. It took me a second but then I figured it out. "You followed my scent?"

"Yeah." I wondered if Derek had noticed I was missing. Would he come find me? My chest filled with pain. _Derek_… He didn't want me. It just hurt. Was I not good enough for him or was he just being stupid and thinking that he wasn't good enough for me?

"Come on," Damon said. "I'll take you back to the house."

"Thanks." I followed him as he led me through the forest. But soon I realized that we weren't anywhere familiar. "Damon?" I asked, confused. He turned and grinned at me.

"You're so stupid, Chloe," he sneered. "Do you just follow anyone?"

"But you're supposed to be on our side," I said.

"Naïve." Damon reached out and grabbed me.

"Chloe!" a voice yelled suddenly and my heart leaped. Derek!

"Derek!" I called back and turned to see him coming out of the forest, followed by the out of breath Tori and Simon. Damon yanked painfully on my arm.

"Don't even think about moving," he said. Derek, Simon, and Tori, all intent on getting to me, froze. I watched as Derek lifted his nose and snifted the air.

"What are you?" he demanded of Damon, who grinned.

"Finally figuring it out? Well, I'll play the stupid villain and explain. I'm not Damon, I'm a demon. A high-level fire demon, to be specific." Jaws dropped comically. A demon? How had he gotten here? "I was summoned by some witches and then stuck in this body. After I escaped, I decided I wanted to take over this world. And what I need for that, is Chloe."

"Me? Why?"

Damon- the demon- shrugged. "Your bright light should be able to drag my brethren across with a spell. I've never seen a light like yours. It's so bright." His eyes focused on me and he frowned. "But it's not so bright right now." While the demon inspected me, I glanced at my friends out of the corner of my eye. Tori was rubbing her throat and staring at me pointedly. I tilted my head in confusion and then remembered my necklace. "And remember those dreams? All thanks to me. They weren't for any purpose really; I just wanted to have some fun." Angrily, I ripped my arm out of the demon's grasp.

"So you killed Derek every night for fun?" I demanded. All my fear, for some fun? I reached up to the chain of my necklace and gripped it firmly. "Well, thank you for playing the part of the stupid villain." Sharply, I yanked the chain and it broke, dropping the stone to the ground. The demon lunged but it was too late. My power rushed back to me and I smiled. Let's see how well he could take me now.

~Derek~

Chloe! My heart thudded painfully in my chest. She couldn't be hurt. She just couldn't. I know I gave her up for Simon, but I couldn't let her die.

_Mate._

Then she ripped her necklace off and I knew the playing field had changed.

And after this, I would talk to Simon and tell him that Chloe was mine.

_Mate._

I had no idea what this was, but I looked at Chloe and this word pressed around my brain.

_Mate._


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Reviews appreciated :D Enjoy this chapter. Sorry if the battle scenes not too good.

**Chapter Twenty Three**

~Chloe~

I pulled off my necklace and my power came flooding back. This wasn't like the last couple of time when I had tried to use my power and it hadn't worked. But all the demon did was laugh.

"You can't beat me. I'll just burn anything that comes close."

"Yes, but what happens when what you burn keeps coming back because it doesn't have any pain nerves?" I asked, smiling when the demon realized my plan. His eyes glowed red and a stream of fire headed my way. _Oh, yeah_, I thought. _He could still hurt me._ But then I was shoved from behind. My fall was cushioned by a warm body though. I looked down and saw Derek. Immediately, I began to smile, but then I remembered our last meeting and my smile quickly faded.

"Come on," Derek said gruffly. He helped me stand up. "Don't you have the dead to summon?"

I nodded and shot a quick look at the demon, who was being distracted by spells from Simon and Tori. _Okay, I can do this_, I told myself and reached inside of me. I had never consciously used my power before so I really hoped I could do this.

~Derek~

He curses under his breath. There was nothing he could do. If he went too close to the demon, he'd be burned. All Derek could do was watch as Chloe, Simon, and Tori fought.

Damn it!

Why was he so useless?

_**This is how the battle went:**_

Simon and Tori kept hitting the demon with spells. He threw fire at them, but they dodged.

Then dead animals began to emerge from the forest and rush at the demon. His fire burned them, but without living nerves, they didn't back down.

And then, inexplicably, a hole or whatever appeared behind the demon and sucked him in.

~Third Person~

Simon, Tori, Chloe and Derek stared at where the demon had been, dazed and confused, when Liz appeared, although only Chloe could see her.

"Miss me, Chloe?" Liz asked with a broad smile.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Updated! Just two more chapters after this… Sequel? Review!

**Chapter Twenty-Four**

"Liz!" Chloe exclaimed and rushed to hug her. She stopped awkwardly right before Liz.

Liz laughed, and something knocked Chloe back a few feet.

"Liz is here?" Tori demanded. "How is she?"

"Tell Tori I'm fine," Liz instructed Chloe, and Chloe obeyed with a wide smile. Tori smiled as well, happy that her friend was alright.

"Did you see what happened to that demon?" Chloe asked Liz, who nodded enthusiastically.

"I opened a portal," she explained. "And he was sucked back into the demon realm."

"How?" Tori inquired after Chloe relayed the information.

Liz shrugged. "No idea; I just do it. But I'm here to help you guys defeat the Edison Group now."

"Chloe!" Simon called, rushing towards her. "Are you okay? I thought…" Chloe nodded at Simon, but her eyes had found Derek who had followed after Simon, albeit slower, and the sight of him drowned out Simon's voice.

Simon trailed off as he noticed Chloe wasn't even paying attention to him. He followed her gaze. Derek. He fought back a scowl and a surge of jealousy.

Then he sighed.

He wasn't ever going to get Chloe. She wasn't in love with him.

His heart hurt.

"I'm going back to the house," he said abruptly. He needed space. He felt her confused eyes on him as he walked away.

Derek watched Chloe watch his brother walk away. He growled under his breath and jealousy tugged at him. She wanted Simon. The knowledge ripped through him until it hurt to breathe. Derek had realized something during the battle, when the outcome had first seemed uncertain. He loved Chloe. And Chloe loved his brother.

Well, good for her, he thought, pushing away the jealousy. She deserved Simon, a human and one a million times better that he was.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Another update! So quick too. I'm on a roll, I guess. Review!

**Chapter Twenty-Five**

Chloe sat in her bed, staring at the night sky- and full moon. She was waiting for Derek to knock on her door, but he was late. Suddenly she heard his light footsteps come down the hall. And straight past her door with only a small pause.

Chloe could hardly believe it. She'd noticed he'd been avoided lately and now this clinched it. But she didn't understand. She'd finally realized she loved Derek during the battle when there had been little chance of success.

Now he hated her.

Well, if he thought he was going to ignore her and get away with it, he had another think coming, Chloe decided with a scowl, slipping out of bed and leaving the house.

"Chloe..." a voice whispered. Mary. A chill shot down her spine. Mary appeared in front of Chloe. "I want to leave."

"Leave the grounds?" Chloe asked.

"No, you stupid girl!" Mary shouted, blasting the necromancer back two feet. "I want to go to him," she added calmly.

Chloe blinked. "You- you want to m-move on?"

"Y-yes," Mary replied, mocking Chloe's stutter.

The necromancer hesitated. She'd never moved a ghost on, but it couldn't hurt to try. Chloe took Mary's hands, wary of the ghost, and closed her eyes. Mary was stuck on earth because of her ties, so Chloe imagined ropes holding Mary down that were unraveling.

"Thank you," Mary whispered. Chloe opened her eyes and didn't see or sense the ghost anymore.

She stood smiling for a second before continuing into the forest. Mary had just briefly distracted her from her bigger purpose.

"What are you doing?" Derek demanded, coming out of the forest to her right. She jumped and placed a hand over her chest.

"Geez," she snapped. "Way to scare me half to death!"

He winced. "Sorry, but you shouldn't be out here. It's not safe."

"Because of you?" Chloe asked, an eyebrow raised. She was feeling oddly confidant tonight and acting out of character.

"Partly." He shrugged and began to scratch his arms. "And the Edison Group might still be wandering around."

"Oh..." Chloe trailed off, watching Derek scratch and scratch. Soon he'd draw blood. She grabbed his hands to still his movements. He froze. Did he feel the same way?

"Simon-" Derek began. He cleared his throat. Why was he bringing up his brother? "Simon will be good for you," he muttered. Chloe felt her draw drop. Well, now she knew what that expression felt like. She dropped his hands and shoved him. He barely moved a half step.

"You're so stupid," Chloe cried. "I'm not in love with Simon! I'm in love with you, Derek!" She glared at him and felt a little satisfied when he looked shocked. And then he doubled over, clutching his stomach.

"Run!" he ordered. A feral scream erupted from his mouth and Chloe froze, unable to move, as Derek finally completed his Change.

Indescribable, she thought, looking at the beautiful werewolf. She stared into Derek's wolven eyes and took in their intelligence. What Derek had feared had not come true. He was still himself.

"Well," Chloe said shakily, falling to her knees. "Do you feel the sudden urge to maul me or chase rabbits?"

He darted forward and pressed his nose to her forehead. There was something comforting about it. Suddenly he was human again and kissing her fervently.

"I love you too," he whispered, and kissed her again. Chloe pulled away with a smile- and a blush.

"Would you put some pants on?" she said.

He laughed and went to retrieve his pants. Chloe couldn't help but sneak a peek at his backside. She was human, after all.

He returned and pulled her to her feet with another kiss. A distant memory returned. _Mate…_

What was a mate?

Derek started to growl and he pushed Chloe behind him. She watched as people entered their area with guns pointing at them. She clutched Derek's hand and watched as the wall of people parted and Dr. Davidoff stepped through.

Derek's growls halted in his chest.

Simon?


	26. Chapter 26 - Final Chapter

A/N: I figured I might as well finish it now that I'm on a computer. Last chapter!

**Chapter Twenty-Six**

Chloe opened her eyes and found herself staring at a white ceiling. A very familiar white ceiling.

She was back in the Edison Group's headquarters.

But what had happened? Derek, Tori, Andrew, Simon-

Simon had been with Davidoff. She couldn't remember after that.

A door opened and she turned to face the incomer. Simon.

He set down a tray. "You should eat. Davidoff will come later to speak with you."

Traitor.

He flinched. Had she spoken out loud? Apparently.

"How could you betray your own brother?" Chloe demanded.

Simon met her gaze without flinching this time. "Well, it doesn't matter anymore. He's dead."

Her heart stopped beating. Derek… dead? Those two words didn't belong together. It wasn't true. It couldn't be true. Chloe fell back down onto the bed, trying to wrap her mind around what Simon had said. She didn't even move when Simon left.

Derek. Dead.

Derek was dead?

…

Simon hadn't looked like he was lying. Could it be true?

…

Derek was dead.

Chloe felt a strange calm come over her. And then she was angry. The Edison Group had pulled her last straw.

She was going to destroy them if it was the last thing she did.

_Derek…_

**A/N: And that's the end of **_**Changing Tides.**_** Thoughts?**


	27. Sequel anyone?

Does everyone still want a sequel? I have a couple ideas in mind for what would happen next. Review with the answer, because if not a lot of people want a sequel, I might not write it and leave you guys hanging.

~Nykiara


	28. Sequel!

Sequel posted! Called "Turbulent Currents". Please check it out.


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